View source for Billy Koch

{{short description|American baseball pitcher (born 1974)}}
{{other people|Bill Koch}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Billy Koch
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1974|12|14}}
|birth_place=[[Rockville Centre, New York]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague=MLB
|debutdate=May 5
|debutyear=1999
|debutteam=Toronto Blue Jays
|finalleague=MLB
|finaldate=August 26
|finalyear=2004
|finalteam=Florida Marlins
|statleague=MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=29–25
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.89
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=357
|stat4label=[[Save (baseball)|Save]]s
|stat4value=163
|teams=
* [[Toronto Blue Jays]] ({{mlby|1999}}–{{mlby|2001}})
* [[Oakland Athletics]] ({{mlby|2002}})
* [[Chicago White Sox]] ({{mlby|2003}}–{{mlby|2004}})
* [[Florida Marlins]] ({{mlby|2004}})
|highlights=
* [[AL Rolaids Relief Man Award]] (2002)
|medaltemplates=
{{MedalSport | Men's [[baseball]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Baseball at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalBronze | [[Baseball at the 1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[United States national baseball team|Team]] }}
}}

'''William Christopher Koch''' (born December 14, 1974) is an American former [[Major League Baseball]] [[relief pitcher]]. He was born in Rockville Centre, New York and went to [[West Babylon High School]].

He debuted in the majors with the [[Toronto Blue Jays]] and last pitched in MLB with the [[Florida Marlins]] in 2004.

== Baseball career ==
Koch played college baseball for [[Clemson University]] from 1994 to 1996. He was drafted by the [[Toronto Blue Jays]] in the first round (fourth pick) of the 1996 amateur draft and made his debut in 1999. He made an instant impression by regularly hitting 100 MPH with his fastball.

Koch won a bronze medal with the [[United States national baseball team]] at the [[Baseball at the 1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Summer Olympics]] in Atlanta.

He was groomed for the role of [[closer (baseball)|closer]], and had mixed success at the role over the next three seasons. While he was regarded as one of the most dominating pitchers in the league when he was at his best, at times he battled with his control and composure on the mound. Nevertheless, he continued to post improving save numbers (31, 33 and 36) from 1999 to 2001.

On December 7, 2001, the Blue Jays, now under new management, traded Koch to the [[Oakland Athletics]] for [[Eric Hinske]] and [[Justin Miller (baseball, born 1977)|Justin Miller]]. The trade ended up working out for both teams, as Eric Hinske statistically outperformed Koch in his first season with the Jays<ref>{{cite web |url=http://danjulien.atspace.com/ricciardi.htm#1 |title=Statistical breakdown of the Koch/Hinske trade}}</ref> while Oakland proved to be a good fit for closer Koch. He saved 44 games in 2002 while posting a 3.27 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 93{{fraction|2|3}} innings as well as earning 11 wins, becoming the first pitcher in major league history to earn 10 wins and 40 saves in one season. He won the [[Rolaids Relief Man Award]] based on his statistical performance that year. Koch, however, gave up a critical ninth-inning home run to Minnesota's [[A. J. Pierzynski]] in the deciding game of the A's first-round playoff series. That outing would turn out to be the turning point in Koch's career.

On December 3, 2002, he was once again traded, this time to the [[Chicago White Sox]] along with two minor leaguers for [[Keith Foulke]], Mark Johnson, Joe Valentine and cash, but was unable to replicate the successes he had experienced with Toronto or Oakland. Due to wild inconsistency on the mound, [[Jerry Manuel]] removed Koch from the role of closer, relegating him to middle relief. Koch finished the season with a disappointing 11 saves and a high 5.77 ERA.

His troubles continued in 2004.  He was once again tried in the role of closer, but saved only 8 games in 24 games played, compiling an ERA of 5.40.  He was traded to the [[Florida Marlins]] in June for [[Wilson Valdez]], a minor-league second baseman who it was assumed would replace [[Luis Castillo (second baseman)|Luis Castillo]] before the latter signed a four-year contract to remain with Florida.  Koch fared better in Florida than he did in Chicago, with a 1–2 record and a 3.51 ERA in 23 games as a setup man for [[Armando Benítez]].

Following the 2004 season he was signed to a 1-year contract by his original team, the Toronto Blue Jays, though the team released him during spring training and an angry Koch announced he would not attempt to sign with another team, so that the Blue Jays would be on the hook for 'every penny' of his $950,000 salary.  He has not played baseball professionally since then.<ref>[http://thebaseballcube.com/players/K/Billy-Koch.shtml Billy Koch Statistics – The Baseball Cube<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929145706/http://thebaseballcube.com/players/K/Billy-Koch.shtml |date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref>

Koch was featured in the film ''[[Moneyball (film)|Moneyball]]'' in 2011 as the A's primary closer for their record breaking 20 game winning streak.

==See also==
*[[List of Major League Baseball leaders in games finished]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Baseballstats|mlb=150477|espn=4057|br=k/kochbi01|fangraphs=924|brm=koch--002wil}}

{{1996 MLB Draft}}
{{Toronto Blue Jays first round draft choices}}
{{AL Relief Man Award Winners}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Billy}}
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada]]
[[Category:Baseball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Charlotte Knights players]]
[[Category:Chicago White Sox players]]
[[Category:Dunedin Blue Jays players]]
[[Category:Florida Marlins players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Oakland Athletics players]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in baseball]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Rockville Centre, New York]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Nassau County, New York]]
[[Category:Syracuse SkyChiefs players]]
[[Category:Toronto Blue Jays players]]
[[Category:Clemson Tigers baseball players]]